MaxPreps top 50 High School Basketball players

E

eaglepride

Well-known member
Check out the article by MaxPreps for the top 50 High School Basketball players of all time.

I forgot about the Allen Iverson incident. Good stuff!

Warning though the list starts with #1 down to #50 instead of the traditional countdown starting with #50 and finishing with the #1 player.

Do you agree with Jerry Lucas' ranking or is it too high or too low? Impressive resume for sure.

http://www.maxpreps.com/news/NVm4YT...igh-school-basketball-players-of-all-time.htm
 
 
I'm from Middletown and the stories of Jerry Lucas and the way he played are legendary. I don't know if the ranking is too high or too low, but to win 76 games in a row, that's almost unheard of. For many years he was also the only player to win a state title, an NCAA championship, and NBA title and an Olympic gold metal. I think that Magic became the 2nd with 92 Dream Team. I was at the NCAA basketball hall of fame in KC this summer and he's listed there as one of the 25 greatest college players of all time as well.
 
eaglepride said:
Check out the article by MaxPreps for the top 50 High School Basketball players of all time.

I forgot about the Allen Iverson incident. Good stuff!

Warning though the list starts with #1 down to #50 instead of the traditional countdown starting with #50 and finishing with the #1 player.

Do you agree with Jerry Lucas' ranking or is it too high or too low? Impressive resume for sure.

http://www.maxpreps.com/news/NVm4YT...igh-school-basketball-players-of-all-time.htm
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I think it is a well thought out list that makes sense to me. I really don't know how one could argue with the selections. As with any "Greatest" poll, the list will be subjective,
 
eaglepride said:
Check out the article by MaxPreps for the top 50 High School Basketball players of all time.

I forgot about the Allen Iverson incident. Good stuff!

Warning though the list starts with #1 down to #50 instead of the traditional countdown starting with #50 and finishing with the #1 player.

Do you agree with Jerry Lucas' ranking or is it too high or too low? Impressive resume for sure.

http://www.maxpreps.com/news/NVm4YT...igh-school-basketball-players-of-all-time.htm
Click to expand...

Labron’s High school career does not match up with that of Jerry Lucas. Labron probably should not have even been eligible and that is not in reference to the grades that he had or may not have had.
 
HardCorps said:
Labron’s High school career does not match up with that of Jerry Lucas. Labron probably should not have even been eligible and that is not in reference to the grades that he had or may not have had.
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LeBron 3 HS state championships > Lucas 2

LeBron 1 HS national championship > Lucas 0

LeBron 3 time Mr. Basketball in the state of Ohio.

This is by no means any disrespect to Jerry Lucas. His accomplishments speak for themselves and is one of the best.

No one has ever been as scrutinized at LBJ was during HS when it came to eligibility. Multiple investigations to no avail.

Maybe you have LBJ confused with your very own Cris Carter? Now he was deemed ineligible for accepting money while in school. Did he learn how to do that in high school?

With everything LeBron has done on and off the court and for his community.....you can certainly try and get his name right.
 
Most of you are way too young to have seen him, but Connie Hawkins was a man among boys. Picture the strength of Wes Unseld and the artistry of Julius Erving; in the early 60's! However, he made some horrible choices and received some terrible advice. Had he played his entire career in the NBA, he'd be talked about as a Top 20 caliber player. He had that kind of talent.
 
Irish60 said:
Most of you are way too young to have seen him, but Connie Hawkins was a man among boys. Picture the strength of Wes Unseld and the artistry of Julius Erving; in the early 60's! However, he made some horrible choices and received some terrible advice. Had he played his entire career in the NBA, he'd be talked about as a Top 20 caliber player. He had that kind of talent.
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Yes, Connie Hawkins had a lot of bad luck. He could have been up there in the greatest players of all-time. Despite his bad luck and finally being able to enter the NBA at age 27 (after being banned), he was still able to become an NBA all-star. I remember a lot of memorable performances he played in the NBA. His autobiography in the book named "Foul!" is a great book to read. In that book, NBA player Paul Silas talked about how Hawkins dominated the national high school all-star game that Silas was playing in. Silas said of Hawkins' performance, that it was hard to believe that a high school player could be that good.

Also, here's a video biography on Connie Hawkins:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oElAuZFXC9o

EDIT: I forgot to mention, Connie Hawkins passed away in 2017. May he rest in peace.
 
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Football Fan 1 said:
LeBron 3 HS state championships > Lucas 2

LeBron 1 HS national championship > Lucas 0

LeBron 3 time Mr. Basketball in the state of Ohio.

This is by no means any disrespect to Jerry Lucas. His accomplishments speak for themselves and is one of the best.

No one has ever been as scrutinized at LBJ was during HS when it came to eligibility. Multiple investigations to no avail.

Maybe you have LBJ confused with your very own Cris Carter? Now he was deemed ineligible for accepting money while in school. Did he learn how to do that in high school?

With everything LeBron has done on and off the court and for his community.....you can certainly try and get his name right.
Click to expand...

We are sticking with high school. Cris Carter? It would have been interesting to see labron come into Wade E Miller. What division was asvsm, when labron’s team won those championships? Lucas won more awards than you give him credit for. Hell, labron claimed to be the GOAT, so surely he was the best in Ohio. Lol lol lol
 
Football Fan 1 said:
LeBron 3 HS state championships > Lucas 2

LeBron 1 HS national championship > Lucas 0

LeBron 3 time Mr. Basketball in the state of Ohio.

This is by no means any disrespect to Jerry Lucas. His accomplishments speak for themselves and is one of the best.

No one has ever been as scrutinized at LBJ was during HS when it came to eligibility. Multiple investigations to no avail.

Maybe you have LBJ confused with your very own Cris Carter? Now he was deemed ineligible for accepting money while in school. Did he learn how to do that in high school?

With everything LeBron has done on and off the court and for his community.....you can certainly try and get his name right.
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Two years of Division 2 and 2 years of Division 3 had to be excruciating
 
HardCorps said:
... Hell, labron claimed to be the GOAT, ...
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That's a narrative I don't recall. Something you made up in your head or real? For that matter, for all the hype, this was the early days of public on-line message boarding, the puddle, I don't recall anyone making that claim.
 
eastisbest said:
That's a narrative I don't recall. Something you made up in your head or real? For that matter, for all the hype, this was the early days of public on-line message boarding, the puddle, I don't recall anyone making that claim.
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He said it recently. Paraphrasing: I led Cleveland to victory over Golden State. I am the GOAT. I know that it sounds like BS for someone to make that claim, but it is true. Use your favorite search engine and research it.
 
HardCorps said:
HardCorps said:
We are sticking with high school. .... Hell, labron claimed to be the GOAT, so surely he was the best in Ohio. Lol lol lol
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eastisbest said:
That's a narrative I don't recall. Something you made up in your head or real? ..
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
He said it recently. Paraphrasing: I led Cleveland to victory over Golden State. I am the GOAT. I know that it sounds like BS for someone to make that claim, but it is true. Use your favorite search engine and research it.
Click to expand...


He played Golden St while still in high school! Wow, maybe he is the GOAT. Much better than being the butt. ;)
 
If it’s about HS then leave out the college and pro stuff. Jordan, Iverson and others with 1 year are too high or don’t belong! Walton and Webber too low. Never saw him in HS, but Bill Bradley was legendary and is too low!
 
On Bill Walton.

John Wooden as the story goes send Denny Crum who at the time was his top assistant
to go see Walton play...
When Crum returned he walked by Wooden's Office and John said well how good is he.
Crum standing in the door way said he is the best High School player i have seen since Lew
Alcindor...

Wooden supposedly said come into my Office and close the door .
 
Taco MacArthur said:
IMO, Kobe and MJ benefited from their professional careers. Both were too high based solely on HS credentials.
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Very much agree about Jordan (don't know as much about Kobe). Was famously on JV as a sophomore and wasn't noticed as a big-time recruit until the summer before his senior season. Interestingly, my memory is that Bill Russell was never a starter when he played in high school (on an excellent team) but emerged between high school and college.

Fun list! Name I was looking for was Damon Bailey. Certainly had all-time top-50 name recognition when he was in high school (thanks to John Feinstein and Sports Illustrated), and he did deliver a state championship as a senior.

Also believe Lucas belongs on this list.
 
I’d say Lucas is about right. You’ve gotta remember the records the guys set in the 50s and 60s were set playing 3 yr varsity. Freshman were ineligible to play varsity in high school AND college until the early 70s


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
eaglepride said:
Haha HardCorps is 100% correct. Do yourself a favor and research it before you make any more of these statements.
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He may be right about LeBron's comment, but it doesn't mean that he still isn't just a tad jealous that STVM passed Middletown for most state titles in Ohio HS basketball history. Those grapes he is eating are more than a little sour, I suspect.

Either way, Jerry Lucas was the best player of his era and helped change the face of HS basketball. The same thing can be said of LeBron James in his era. I'd guess the level of competition LeBron played was superior to that Lucas faced simply because the ease of travel allowed the Irish to play a number of teams from out of state; while Lucas was pretty much playing Ohio teams. Who was better as a HS player? That's a beauty contest type of question. But I saw LeBron play quite a bit while he was in Akron, and IMO I certainly would be hard pressed to believe anyone was better.
 
HardCorps said:
Labron’s High school career does not match up with that of Jerry Lucas. Labron probably should not have even been eligible and that is not in reference to the grades that he had or may not have had.
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So tell us how LABRON { It's spelled LeBron } should have been ineligible ?
 
Harrycrane said:
So tell us how LABRON { It's spelled LeBron } should have been ineligible ?
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Who am I to question the integrity of an OHSAA investigation, if there ever was one? Can you imagine the amount of cash the OHSAA would have missed out on if labron would not have been there to lead asvsm in their crushing marches to Division 2 and Division 3 state championships?
 
HardCorps said:
Who am I to question the integrity of an OHSAA investigation, if there ever was one? Can you imagine the amount of cash the OHSAA would have missed out on if labron would not have been there to lead asvsm in their crushing marches to Division 2 and Division 3 state championships?
Click to expand...

DWX6iOKVAAA0fPg.jpg
 
eaglepride said:
Originally Posted by eastisbest
He played Golden St while still in high school! Wow, maybe he is the GOAT. Much better than being the butt. ;)
Click to expand...
Haha HardCorps is 100% correct. Do yourself a favor and research it before you make any more of these statements.
Click to expand...


Haha Hardcorps said "We are sticking with high school," then brought up a comment made over a decade after the fact. He then got called out on that. Do yourself a favor and learn to follow the dots before you make any more of these statements.


;)
 
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